DAL9000 wrote:
(This is college football I'm talking about, if you're staring at me in blank incomprehension.)

Wait, is there a camera our the office?

DAL9000 wrote:
Did you CHOOSE to go to Buffalo as an exchange student? I just-- I don't-- WHY?

Why there and not, say, southern California?

It's easier and cheaper for return trips?
No, you got to pick a country and then you were assigned a host family in that country.
Arcade, NY wasn't too bad. There were more than 4 streets all in all and the magnificent city of Buffalo was a mere 45 minutes away.

I think the majority of the exchange students ended up in sleepy little towns and villages across the US. A few must've ended up in Southern California but not that many.

Salaman wrote:Too bad there's so little coverage over here in Europe. I enjoy watching a good game of football.

I presume you live in the UK. What the hell are you on about? There's at least 3 games a week available to watch, more if you have ESPN. Plus NFL Total Access on most days of the week. Apologies if you don't have Sky.

Salaman wrote:Too bad there's so little coverage over here in Europe. I enjoy watching a good game of football.

I presume you live in the UK. What the hell are you on about? There's at least 3 games a week available to watch, more if you have ESPN. Plus NFL Total Access on most days of the week. Apologies if you don't have Sky.

Let's see. QBs: Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the gold standard. Manning is probably the greatest QB ever to play the game. Drew Brees of the Saints is also a superstar.

RBs: Chris Henry ran for two thousand yards a couple of years ago. Adrian Peterson is the second coming of Jim Brown -- a power back with very good speed and great burst.

WRs: Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne.

Defensive players-- there are only a few name defenders in the NFL. Darelle Revis is definitely one -- a shutdown cornerback with swagger aplenty. Ray Lewis is as ferocious a linebacker as I've seen; Patrick Willis is also an outstanding backer. Haloti Ngata is just a ridiculously dominant defensive tackle. And then there's Ed Reed, a future Hall of Famer at free safety.

Scary fact: Reed, Lewis, and Ngata are on the same team. (Baltimore, if you're curious.)

Salaman wrote:Too bad there's so little coverage over here in Europe. I enjoy watching a good game of football.

I presume you live in the UK. What the hell are you on about? There's at least 3 games a week available to watch, more if you have ESPN. Plus NFL Total Access on most days of the week. Apologies if you don't have Sky.

Nothing compared to the US coverage though.

I'm seriously considering shelling out €180 for the online all game pass thing this season. Sky show fuck all Bengals games.

DAL9000 wrote:
BTW, Clive, you're going to LOVE Jim Harbaugh. I'm a long-suffering Stanford fan -- Harbaugh came in as head coach of Stanford when we'd just gone 1-11 and people were seriously talking about dropping the football program entirely.

When he left us four years later, we'd just gone 12-1, won the Orange Bowl, and were just DOMINANT in all phases of the game. And he did it all with enthusiasm unknown to mankind. Great hire by the 9ers, even if I wish he'd stayed at Stanford for life.

(This is college football I'm talking about, if you're staring at me in blank incomprehension.)

Hah, I'm old enough to remember him playing as a rookie for the Bears and spent quite some time breaking down film of Stanford after it appeared likely the 49ers wanted him. It's nice to know the Niners will have an offensive system this year that doesn't involve Gore on a dive 50% of the time. You'll be hard pressed to see a more poorly coached outfit than the 49ers over the past 5-6 years.

Of course I'll always have a massive soft spot for the Stanford programme as they've been good to the 49ers over the years.

ZizouFC wrote:
Different American sport, but why is the World Series of Baseball called the World Series?

Pardon the belated response, but here y'go! When the first World Series was held in 1903, the U.S. was the only place in the world that played high-level baseball. So it really was the world championship.

Of course, the ACTUAL reason it's called that is because a promoter said: "Hey! I bet we can make more money off this if we call it the World Series!" Mmmm, capitalism.

DAL9000 wrote:
Hey, ronuds, I'm curious-- how on EARTH have you learned this much about football? Your answers are always spot-on -- it's darned impressive for someone who hasn't marinated in football all his life. Did you play the game when you were younger?

I cheat... I'm from the US. Been playing and following all my life. Well, not so much playing these days - not with these old bones!

Salaman wrote:Too bad there's so little coverage over here in Europe. I enjoy watching a good game of football.

I presume you live in the UK. What the hell are you on about? There's at least 3 games a week available to watch, more if you have ESPN. Plus NFL Total Access on most days of the week. Apologies if you don't have Sky.